Ramp up the Intensity

Friday, May 23, 2014

Prehab:

Band Posterior Chain Floss
20 Calf Raises and Ankle Mobility
20 Reverse Snow Angels

Warmup:

20 Wide Mt Climbers
10 Deadlifts with Bar
10 Pike Situps
10 Thrusters
10 Straddle Situps
20 Wide Mt Climbers

Classic Strength:

Deadlift 3×5 – Rest 90 seconds
3×15 GHD Hip Extension- Rest 90 seconds

Notes:  You will perform your Deadlifts first, then the hip extensions separately.  This is the same work being performed as the Advanced strength, except without percentages.  This is designed for the newer athlete that does not have a true 1 rep max, but we still want you to keep track of these numbers because you will be repeating them over the coming weeks.    Perform 2 warmup sets and then add weight each set as needed.   

Advanced Strength:

Wendler Cycle 2, Week 1:
Deadlift: 65% x 5, 75% x 5, 85% x 5+
3×15 Weighted GHD Hip extension- Rest 60 seconds

 Notes:  Percentages are based off 90% of adjusted 1 RM. When you see 5+, that means you do the max reps you can manage with that weight, with the goal of setting a rep record in each workout.  Perform a few warm up sets before getting into your working sets.  Keep rest intervals around 2 minutes. Click HERE for a full description of the Wendler 531 cycle.

 Classic Conditioning:

3 rounds for time:
Row 500 meters
10 Power Clean and Jerks (95/65)
20 Kettlebell Swings (24/16kg)

-15 minute cap-

Advanced Conditioning:

Row 1000 meters
15 Power Clean and Jerks (135/95)
100 Kettlebell swings (24/16kg)

-15 minute cap-

Cooldown:

Pigeon Stretch, 1 min
Straddle Stretch, 1 min
Plow Stretch, 20 Sec
Dead Hang from Pullup Bar, 20 Sec

While watching all the Regional action the past couple of weekends, it always amazes me the amount of skill and athleticism that is displayed.  The amount of hard work it takes to achieve this level of competition is exposed for all to see.  During some of the workouts that I watch, I can’t help but be astonished how there are some athletes that start off with a big lead, only to finish at the back of the pack at the tail end of the workout.  And then there are some individuals who go into the workout with a smarter game plan, starting off a little slower, but end up having the last laugh.  Many of these athletes also have a tolerance of pain that is on a different level and are able to ‘turn off’ any thoughts that may whisper to stop and rest.  They just keep pushing themselves to no end and make the ‘impossible’ look easy.  We can all take a lesson from these athletes and ask ourselves what kind of action do we take when our workout gets hard.  Do you hit the brakes as soon as something gets uncomfortable?  Or do you tell your brain to shut up and just power through when the going gets tough?

The urge to scream uncle may have more to do with your overprotective brain than your cramping muscles.  Most of us are prone to think that when fatigue strikes, it must be because we are low on fuel, dehydrated, or overheated.  But that’s not necessarily the case.  Many times even before you start working out, your brain is figuring out how to pace your body so that you stop long before you have an issue.  What this means is that you always have more in the tank than your brain leads you to believe.  But we can’t help but fixate on our achy legs and burning lungs, and our brain then produces a stress response that actually increases the ache! Our experience of pain is connected to our perception of it.  If you decide the pain is unbearable, your tolerance for it will be lower than if you thank your can handle it.  So what can you do when the hurt sets in to give yourself a mental edge?  There are different ways to cope mentally such as repeat a certain word like strong with each lift, continuously count up to eight during a run or row (known as rhythms cognitive behavior), sing a favorite song, go over your grocery list (distraction or dissociation), or remind yourself that this movement will  be over in just 30 more seconds and you can do anything for just 30 seconds.

Crossfit is one of the most successful types of workout to get people in the best shape possible.  But it’s not easy.  It’s up to you to be able to be at or above your aerobic threshold to be successful and see results.  Try to remember that during your workout if you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not working hard enough.  But once you get through that temporary pain, you really get to feel and see the rewards of training.  Only you are able to push your body to it’s absolute sweat dripping, out of breath max.  So learn to ignore that fatigue fakeout and get more from your body.